Telegraph transmitting-machine.



F. DE A. DEL VALLEATILES.

l TBLBGRAPHTRANSMITTING MACHINE. l I

.APPLICATION FILED 11mm, 1911.

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4 SH01/nui V1i'. .DE A. DEL VALLE ATILBS. TBLEGRAPH TRANSMITTING MAGHINE. Y

Patented May 21, 1912; n

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APPLICATION FILED DEO.19, 1911-.

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TBLEGRAPH TRANSMITTING MACHINE.

I l APPLICATION FILED DEO. 19, 1911. I I 1,027,375 Patented May 21, 1912.

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UNITED sTATEs PATI@NT OFFICE. f

FRANCISCO DE DEL VALLE ATILESQOF SAN JUAN, PORTO vRICO.

TELEGRAVPH TRANSMITTING-MACI-IINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1912.

Application filed December 19, 1911. Serial No. 666,677. I

To all 'whom it may concerns Be it known that I, FRANoIsoo DE A. DEL, VALLE ATILEs, a citizen of the United States, yresiding at San Juan city, Porto Rico, have invented new and useful Improvements in Telegraph Transmitting-Machines, of which` the following is a specification.

tor.

not available and for lack of communication kdisaster oftentimes results.

This invention provides `a (mechanism, which will admit of a message being transmitted by a code system without requiring ,the services of a skilled operator, the average person being enabled to transmit thel f message since theonly skill required is the selection of keys bearing letters and other characters and depressing said keys, thereby bringing into operation an actuator which is associated with a transmitting key wheref by the desired letters are transmitted to form words which convey', the desired information. v Y

The machine embodies a plurality of character wheels each embodying a number of contacts, brushes arranged to coperate Ywith the character'wheels for closing a circuit including an actuator for operating the transmitting key, and a plurality of manually operable keys for actuating the charac-` ter wheels, whereby thel transmitting key actuator is operated in substantially the samemanner as whenmanipulated by the skilled operator.

The invention consists of the novel features, details of construction and combination of parts, which hereinafter will be more particularly set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings,` and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring tothe drawings, forming a part of the specification, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a transmitting machine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a sidey view ofthe 'electrically operated transmitting key actuator. Fig. Sis a side view of one of the keys, a character wheel and intermediate connections. Fig. 4 is a front View-of the view of the part shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6

isA a detail view of one of the character wheels.

Corresponding and like parts are referred part shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5'is a top plan i to in the following description, and indi- W cated in all the views of the drawings, by the same reference characters.

The machine embodies an electrically operated transmitting key actuator A and a bank of keys B, one being provided for each letter, number, punctuation and other character used in transmitting messages electrically. Each key is provided with a mark corresponding with the character to be trans-- mitted when the key is operated, thereby eni abling the proper keys to be readily selected by the averagenperson when it is required to 'transmit a message. A character wheel C 1s had forl each key. In general construe* tion the character wheels are similar, but` each is adapted to transmit a dierent character according to the code system employed and which in the present instance consists of dots and dashes. Each of the keys B is carried by a lever l, which is pivoted intermediate of its ends to an upright 2. S rings 3 'and 4 are located upon opposite si es of the fulcrum of the key lever 1 and are interposed between it and the base 5,l they tenscrews to insure a uniform touch. A guide 6 is had for each key lever and is preferably located near the key so as to resist any tendency of the key to move laterally. A stop Z limits the movement of the key inV one direction and holds it in normal position. The stop`7 is arranged near the inner or rear end of the key lever. A secondvlever 8 is pivoted between its ends to an arm 9 extending from an upright 10 rising from the base 5. A link 11 connects the outer end of the lever 8 with the inner end of the lever 1. A spring 12 supplements the action of the springs 3 and 4 in returning t-he parts to normal position. A lever 13 pivot- `sion of said springs being regulated by set ally supported midway of its ends in line nected at one end to the upright 10 is adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 16 to prevent backward rotation thereof.

Each character wheel is provided with a number of contacts corresponding with the character to be transmitted and the ratchet wheel 16 has a number of teeth `corresponding with the number of characters provided upon each of the character wheels. In the present instance each of the character wheels has four sets of contacts corresponding to four characters and the ratchet wheel 16 has four teeth. The parts are so constructed, proportioned and arranged that when a key B is depressed the ratchet wheel 16 is moved a distance corresponding to a tooth, thereby advancing one of the characters so as to bring the next character or set of contacts in position for operation when the key is next depressed. A brush 18 is pivotally connected to the upright l0 and has a binding screw 19 for securing a conducting wire thereto. The brush 18 is arranged to bear upon the outer edge of the character wheel. A second brush 20 is pivotally connected to the upright 10 and hasa binding screw 21 to admit of a conducting wire being connected therewith. The brush 420 engages an annular contact 22 Jforming a part of or connected with the character wheel.

Each of the character wheels is provided upon its outer edge with a number of contacts which are spaced apart in the path of the brush 18, the spaces receiving an insulating material which prevents the brush entering the spaces and. obstructing the movement of the character wheel. The contacts are electrically connected with one another and with the annular contact 22. The outer edge of each character wheel is smooth or continuous and comprises metal Contact pieces separated by insulating material so that in the rotation of the character wheel t-he circuit is made and broken corresponding to the nature of the contacts and the spaces formed between them, the contacts of each group corresponding to a character are long and short and indicate dots and dashes of the Morse system or other code used in telegraphic communication. The contacts of each group are arranged according to the character represented thereby so that when the wheel is operated electric impulses are transmitted similar to those ilnparted by the telegraphic transmitting key when operated by the skilled operator in transmitting a message. .It is to be understood that the brushes 18 and 20 form elements of an electric circuit which is controlled bythe character wheel, it being further understood that each character wheel controls a local circuit including the electrically operated transmitting key actuator so that when a 4key B is depressed the character represented thereby is transmitted electrically to the actuator A and which actuator in turn operates the transmitting key so as to send the character over the main line.

The electrically operated transmitting key actuator A in its simple form consists of an electro-magnet 23 and an armature 24, the latter being pivoted at 25 to an upright and held away from the core of the electromagnet by means of a spring 26. The electro-magnet illustrated is of t-he two coil type and is mounted upon a base 27, which in turn is secured to the base 5. The armature 24 is extended and is provided at its outer end with a set screw 28 to which is att-ached a but-ton 29 forming a pressure piece to engage the transmitting key 30 of the main line. The button 29 is of rubber or similar yieldable material and is connected with the set screw 28 by means of a ball and socket joint. The electro-magnet is included in the circuit which includes all the character wheels and the circuit closing devices cooperating therewith so that upon operating any one of the keys B the armature 24 is actuated in a manner to correspond with the character represented by the key being depressed, with the result that the transmitting key 30 is actuated and caused to transmit the character represented by the key depressed.

All the brushes 20 are electrically connected by means of a wire 31 and all the brushes 18 are electrically connected by means of a wire 32. The wires 31 and 32 include the coils of the electro-magnet 23 and the circuit represented thereby also includes a current generator ot' any type. Vhen a message is to be transmitted the keys B are depressed according to the characters and words to be transmitted, a character wheel being operated each time a key is depressed, thereby producing impulses in the electro-magnet corresponding with the selected character, thereby actuating the armature 24, which in turn actuates the transmitting key 30.

The number of characters to each wheel C will depend upon the size of the wheel but the parts are of such construction and arrangement that each movement of a character wheel causes the contacts corresponding to the character to pass beneath the brush 18, thereby setting up impulses in the circuit including the electro-magnet 23 to operate the armature 24 in consonance with the impulses required to properly operate' the transmitting key 30 according to the letter or character to be transmitted.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the device which I now consider to be the embodiment thereof,

I Adesire to have it understood that the deviceV shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are Within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention whatA is claimed as new, is

1. In a telegraph transmitting machine, the combination of an electrically operated transmitting key actuator, the same consist-.

armature of the aforesaid electro-magnet,

and a pressure piece of yieldable material connected with the set screw by means ofa Copies of this patent may be obtained for ball and socket joint and adapted to engage the telegraphic transmitting key.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a character wheel, a ratchet Wheel connected with the character wheel to turn therewith, a lever mounted-in line with the ratchet wheel and character wheel and provided with a dog to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel, a second lever` having one of its arms connected with the arm of the first mentioned lever, a key lever, and a link connecting the lkey Vlever with the said second lever.

In testimony whereof I atliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCISCO DE A. DEL VALLE ATILES.

Witnesses:

D. W. GoULD, BENNETT S. JONES.

ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

